Philip Colbert is a British artist and fashion designer based in London known for creating the pop art label The Rodnik Band.

Friday 26 February 2016

Creativity is about making a world of your own. Having started out as a fashion designer I soon developed my practice to other mediums including painting, sculpture, and furniture I'm always looking for new mediums to communicate.

When my wife Charlotte Colbert and I decided to set up our respective studios in LA for a couple of months, BMW kindly supplied me with their new 7 series car for me to customise to create The Rodnik Band hot wheels. I've used fried egg prints a lot in the past. They make me laugh, and I like the idea that they are like piss-take mini-circular Mondrian paintings. They're bold, abstract and have that purity of great abstract painting, yet they're also evocative of a greasy english breakfast. I'd already made myself a fried egg suit for the trip, so thought that this would be the perfect combo.

How to customise a car with a fried egg print

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First, create an artwork pattern in five panels for the sides, front, back and roof of the car (this needs to be high resolution as you'll be printing it very large).

Measure your car, then get the vinyl printed which is easy to source online. You should order a bit extra, just in case. I find that 3M do a good quality vinyl. Some people attempt to apply the vinyl themselves, but I'd recommend you get professional help. I called LA Car Wrap, who were really quick and wrapped the car in a day. The wrapping process is a bit like wallpapering; there's a special tool you use to you push all the air out and prevent bubbling as you apply the vinyl.

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For removal, you leave the car in the sun for a couple of hours so it heats up, which loosens up the adhesive and makes it easier to peel off. Normally this will take an hour or two to remove.

The car is currently parked outside the Chateau Marmont where we are staying, and has attracted a lot of interest especially from the Brits who were staying here for the Grammys, perhaps drawing crowds yearning for the greasy spoons of hackney, or perhaps not.